Journalist Fareed Zakaria resigns from Yale Corporation (document)

NEW HAVEN -- The plagiarism scandal connected to a nationally known journalist has hit home.

Fareed Zakaria, an editor-at-large at Time magazine and CNN host, on Monday resigned from the Yale Corporation. In a letter to Yale President Richard C. Levin, Zakaria said he needed to shed some responsibilities and focus more "on the core of my work."

"My service at Yale is the single largest commitment of time, energy, and attention outside of my writing and television work. The work of the Yale Corporation needs and deserves such attention, but I simply do not have the capacity to do it and keep up with my main professional obligations," he wrote.

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A New Haven Register editorial on Monday suggested Zakaria step down or be asked to leave his role with the university. Zakaria has admitted to lifting a passages without attribution from a New Yorker article for his Aug. 20 column in Time on gun control. Following a review of his work, both Time and CNN have lifted their suspensions. His next Time column will appear on Sept. 7 and "GPS" will return on CNN on Aug. 26, various sources reported Monday.

The Yale Corporation is the university's governing board. Its jobs include approving budgets and programs.

The corporation has 10 successor trustees and six trustees elected by alumni. Zakaria joined the corporation in 2006, and terms are for six years.

The question of a replacement will be referred to the Trusteeship Committee of the Yale Corporation, which serves as a nominating committee, according to Yale spokesman Tom Conroy. "As vacancies occur most years, the Trusteeship Committee has an ongoing process by which it identifies excellent candidates," he said.

In the letter to Levin, Zakaria said it was with "great sadness" that he wouldn't be able to serve a second term as a successor fellow. He said he intends to do less in other areas, but thought it would be best to let Levin know of his decision, "so that the Corporation could begin deliberations on a successor."

"I came to Yale as a scholarship kid from India in 1982 and instantly fell in love with it. That affection has never waned. I have tried to give back to the university a small measure of what it gave me -- devoting time, effort, and resources, as best I could. Serving for a term on the Yale Corporation has been an extraordinary opportunity. I have learnt a great deal from it and I will be shaped by this experience forever," he wrote.

In accepting Zakaria's resignation, Levin commented: "My colleagues and I are deeply grateful for Fareed Zakaria's generous contribution of time and service to the Yale Corporation these past six years. His keen intelligence and broad knowledge of world affairs have enlightened our discussions, and his appearances on campus have benefitted our students and faculty. We will miss him as a colleague, a contributor and a friend."

Early last week, Levin indicated that the Yale Corporation was in the process of reviewing Zakaria's situation. In light of his resignation, the review has been discontinued.